Today we’d like to introduce you to Claudia Chaverra.
Hi Claudia, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Hi! Thank you so much for the opportunity. I am the proud owner of Your CBD Store in the city of Northridge. I was born and raised in Colombia, South America, before coming to the US when I was nine years old to the state of New Jersey. In December of 2002, I moved to CA with my husband, who was enlisted in the Navy as a Seabee at the time stationed out in Port Hueneme. We have an amazing 11-year-old son and three adorable doggies. I enjoy reading, learning, and going to the beach. I love nature and all forms of art such as paintings, music, acting, sunsets, full moons, astrology, etc.
After surviving the Route 91 Harvest Festival mass shooting in Las Vegas back in 2017, I developed PTSD. I went through several failed attempts in trying to cope, all while using daily antidepressants and anti-anxiety pills. With every different prescription, the doctor would give me in hopes of finding the “right one,” I found myself feeling sick to my stomach, constantly sleepy and a shell of a person; neither happy nor sad, just meh. It was heartbreaking because I couldn’t function as a mother, wife or in my daily life altogether.
I was introduced to CBD by my dear friend Lauren who was with me the night of the concert. Rachel Quinn, the Founder of Your CBD Store, had sent my friend Lauren a bottle of CBD for her to try. I was initially skeptical about trying CBD, given the unfortunate stigma around it. However, after getting educated, I decided to give CBD a try – it gave me hope and it gave me my life back! I was given the opportunity to open my own store right about the same time that the Borderline Bar & Grill mass shooting happened in Thousand Oaks; I had nothing to think about; I knew exactly what I needed and wanted to do. I feel incredibly grateful and blessed to be able to live out my life’s purpose – to help people through CBD! Truth is, I’m not in the CBD business; I’m in the people business… Love helping people! 🙂
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Given the stigma that surrounds cannabis altogether, the initial challenge was finding a location for the store. However, the biggest challenge has got to be the pandemic. We shut down our store back in March of 2020; like most people, we thought it would only be for about three weeks or so; it turned out to be a total of three months. It was a real difficult and personal decision to close our store down. Trying to figure out distant learning/homeschooling for our son, who was finishing 4th grade and juggling a business that had not yet been fully established was a real struggle since we had just opened our store in April of 2019.
About a week after closing our doors, the store was broken into. Luckily nothing of value was stolen; it was more of the hardship of having to replace the glass door and vinyl logo/letters. We got creative and pivoted our business model to provide free delivery and free shipping in order to take care of our clients; making this shift allowed us to stay connected with the community and helped our business sustain until we were able to open again. At the beginning, we were only open for a few hours a day and slowly but surely, we have been able to rebuild and grow.
Today, we are open full time, we have celebrated two years in business and we are so proud to be voted Best CBD Store in the San Fernando Valley in the Daily News Readers Best Choice for 2021!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Rachel Quinn is the founder of Your CBD Store. For Rachael, CBD became the answer in her own journey. After noticing the inconsistencies with the CBD she was using, because not all CBD is created equal, she decided to embark on a journey to create a top-quality CBD product that would be consistent with its results. She opened the 1st Your CBD Store in March of 2018 in Bradenton, FL. Soon family and friends took notice and stores began opening throughout the country. In September 2018, the 1st store in California was opened by my friend Lauren. I opened my store on April 17, 2019. The company has since evolved into a Franchise model and currently, we are the largest brick and mortar CBD stores in the country, with over 700+ stores nationwide and four stores in the UK.
At Your CBD Store, we specialize in creating an intentional space where people can feel safe, heard, and cared for. We help remove the stigma by empowering individuals to take charge of their health and wellness through education, connection, community, and top-quality CBD products. We proudly only carry our own exclusive product line called SunMed. We have our own in-house Ph. Chemist that oversees the process from soil to oil, extraction of our oils using CO2 Supercritical method and creates all the different formulations. All our products are organic, non-GMO and third-party lab tested (6-page full reports) that can be acquired from the QR Codes on each and every label for each of our products. We are the first nationwide brand to obtain our USDA Certified Organic seal for our oils. Our products have won 4 awards for Best CBD Product in the categories of Topical Cream, Tincture Oil, Skincare and Pet Oil at the USA CBD Expo in Miami and Las Vegas. We believe our customers should get a chance to try before they buy therefore, we offer free samples, including furbabies!
What makes you happy? Why?
Life has so much beauty and wonder to offer. After surviving the unthinkable, I got a new perspective on life altogether. I was faced with my own mortality and human fragility; life is short, and every day is a gift. I have found a new appreciation for the little things that feed my soul with joy and happiness. In other words, to me happiness has a direct correlation and is a result of being in a constant state of gratefulness and appreciation because it is intentional; therefore, it is easy to find joy and happiness in almost everything. For example my son’s laughter, an interactive car ride with the family, a home cooked meal by my husband, a sunset at the beach, coffee with a friend, a happy customer, referrals, positive reviews, the list goes on. Happiness starts from within, and it is a state of mind rather than a destination. Enjoy the journey because again, life is short.
Pricing:
- First Time Customer 15% OFF
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: NorthridgeCA.CBDrx4u.com
- Instagram: @cbdstorenorthridge
- Facebook: YourCBDStoreNorthridgeCA
- Twitter: @cbdnorthridge
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/your-cbd-store-northridge-los-angeles
Image Credits:
The Route 91 Warrior image is from @route91harvestwarriors IG page
